Faith Through the Ages - Today in Religious History
The Augustinian Waltham Abbey in Essex, one of the last major monasteries in England, was surrendered to King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This marked the end of centuries of monastic life at the site.
On this date, Pope Julius III issued a papal bull confirming the Peace of Augsburg, which had been signed in 1555. The peace allowed Lutheran princes in the Holy Roman Empire to choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism for their territories.
Tsar Paul I issued a manifesto proclaiming the union of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Holy See, a short-lived ecumenical gesture. The union was never fully realized and was revoked after his assassination in 1801.
Henry Francis Lyte's famous hymn 'Abide with Me' was first sung at a public meeting in Brixham, England, shortly before Lyte's death. The hymn became a beloved standard in Christian worship worldwide.
The Salvation Army officially began its work in the United States with the arrival of Commissioner George Scott Railton and seven women officers in New York City. They held their first open-air meeting on this date.
While not a religious event per se, Mussolini's founding of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento on this date set the stage for later conflicts with the Catholic Church over education and youth organizations. The Lateran Treaty of 1929 would eventually reconcile the two.
Pope John Paul II promulgated the revised Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church, replacing the 1917 code. The new code reflected the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
On this date, Pope John Paul II canonized 26 saints, including the Mexican martyr José María Robles Hurtado and the Italian priest Luigi Scrosoppi. The ceremony took place in St. Peter's Square.